Beethoven's Life

This excellent video is set to Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 that features includes a quick timeline of his life against still images. The words of a letter that he wrote concerning his deafness and his angry behavior because of it. It was found in his ...drawer after his death; it was never sent. The words of the letter are included in this video. (06:19)[more]

After Beethoven's father started drinking, the income his young son generated was the family's main source of support. The days were dark, and dreadful, for the young musician. (09:55)
"You have nothing more to teach me," an exasperated, impertine...nt Beethoven once told his father.
Escaping the turmoil in his own house, Beethoven found peace at the home of friends - Eleonore and Stephan von Breuning - whose mother (Helene) understood the growing child was fragile, needing protection. In Vienna, to further his studies, Beethoven was summoned back to Bonn. Music lessons in Vienna were put on hold as Beethoven remained in Bonn (where his father's drinking-problem worsened). By 1790, Bonn's leaders knew about Beethoven's skills. They selected him to write a cantata commemorating the death of Joseph II, the popular Hapsburg emperor. (09:55)[more]

The last months of Beethoven's life were eventful. On the 29th of July, 1826, his nephew Karl tried to commit suicide. He survived a self-inflicted shot to his head. Already ill himself, Beethoven accepted his brother Johann's invitation to visit ...his estate at Gneixendorf (in lower Austria). A two-day journey from Vienna, Beethoven thought the change of scenery would be good for Karl.
The brothers, however, had serious arguments - on various issues - and Ludwig decided to abruptly leave on December 1, 1826. The only vehicle available for his return was an open milk cart. Disregarding what that could mean, during the frigid weather, Ludwig decided to proceed anyway. He fell ill during the journey.
Arriving home, in Vienna, Beethoven rarely left his bed. Advancing liver disease created fluid build-ups in his abdomen, causing him to suffer greatly. Beethoven died, in his Vienna apartment, on the 26th of March, 1827. He was fifty-six years old. (09:36)[more]

When he was alive, Beethoven - one of the world's most famous composers - was sometimes considered to be a strange man. Except for his servants, he lived alone. It was almost as though he had been banished. In a way, because of his hearing difficul...ties, Beethoven was banished. Separated from people in the hearing world, who could listen to his music, he was sometimes hostile to others. Yet...his musical compositions are emotional, soaring and powerful. Hundreds of years later, his works are still widely admired and frequently performed in concert halls throughout the world. (09:55)[more]

At 22 Beethoven arrived in Bonn where he studied with some of the great master musicians. Beethoven's adult life was marked by his profound deafness. He composed some of his most-loved works at a time when he could not hear. When Beethoven died, hi...s contemporaries knew that the maestro, and his works, would long be remembered. (14:41) Part 2.[more]

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